Centrifugal switch



Nov. 1, 1927.

CENTRIFUGAL swt'lca Filed Deo. 24. 1923 (jm ruig;

- l 1,647,374 B. RoBlNsoN vide a signaling device arranged to autoy Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- BID ROBINSON, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CENTRIFUGAL SWITCH.

Application filled December 24, 1923. Serial No. 682,573.

matically kill the engine as the car reaches a predetermined speed limit, thus providing a warning to help avoid violating speed regulations. y

Another object of the invention is to indicate at the dash, by means of a plurality of colored lights or the like, the particular speed at which the car is running at that instant, without the aid of a speedometer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device that may be set' at the time of parking to kill the engine at a predetermined speed, to handicap by a low speed any unauthorized person trying to make a quick getaway.

Another object of the invention is to construct al device that is cheap of manufacture, compact and having a minumum number of working parts, all so arranged that they cannot be tampered with nor get out of order readily. l y

The foregoing and such objectsyand advantages `as may be pointed out or appear as this description proceeds are attained in the l structural embodiment illustrated in the drawings in which a preferred embodiment is shown wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross section through the device.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on lines 2-2 Aof Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental view showing a portion of the governor, shaft, insulator, contacts and associated parts drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is la longitudinal section taken .through the insulator, disclosing the wire parts, arranged to revolve continuousl receivin passages. l

` The s aft 11 may be connected directly with the engine or any of its associated y while the engine is running. I

A housing is provided comprising two end sections 12 and 13 and a central section 14 on which aligned bosses are provided having registering central bores therein, thliough which extend bolts 15 to hold said sections securely together. The end sections 12 and 13 have cast integral thereon substantially centrally bored bosses 16 and 17 respectively. A bushing 18 is pressed or otherwise secured to the boss 16 and extends for the full length of the bore in said boss,fwhile the boss 17 has a bushing 19 extending for a portion of the length of the hub 17, the remaining distance of said 'boss is counter bored and internally threaded to receive a guiding sleeve 21. The sleeve 21 is enlarged at one end for a short distance and externally threaded as at 22 to engage the threaded counter bore of the hub 17.

The shaft 11 extends through the bushings 18 and 19 and the sleeve 21,`and is lubricated through holes 23 lin the bosses 16 and 17 which are tapped at one end, for the reception of oil cups or suitable oiling means.

A tubular insulator 25, best illustrated in Fig. 4 is formed with a plurality ofpassage ways 26 extending for a distance longiy tudinally and then transversely outwardly to receive the current carrying wires, and to provide for the contacting engagement of the ends of said wires with a plurality of annular contacts. A plurality ofrings 27 forming the -annular contacts, are arranged over the insulator 25 separated` by insulating rings 28 arranged to form spacers to dispose said contacts 27 at the desired distances relative to each other.

A" sectional rotatable slidablecontact is mounted over the contacts 27 and the spacers 28 arranged to slide longitudinally thereover, which comprises an inner section 31 and an outer section 32, between which antifriction members such as ball bearings 33 are located, and held against displacement relative to each other by a casing 34.

Hinged members r35 are secured to the di- `weight is securedto generate the centri force during rot-ation. Arms 37 are pivotally secured to one section of the hin e members 35 and have eyes formed at their other ends Jto pivotally secure them to liat members secured to an anchor 38, which surrounds shaft 11 which is provided with an oil guard 39, tted over the shaft 18 and vheld to the anchor 38`by means of a set screw 4.1 which extends through a slot 42 in a collar 43 provided to accommodate the head of said set screw. Apertured fiat members 44 having eyes formed at one end to pivotally engage with the arm 37 are secured at diametrically opposed sides of the anchor. Pressure producing apertured members 45 are bent to substantially U-shape one p ortion :of which x,engages yieldingly arms 37. An apertured split ring 46 1s i placed over the other portions of the pressure producing members, and held in place by cap screws extend through the'registerlng apertures into a tapered bore in the anchor 38 to engage the shaft, thus holding the parts in fixed relation relative to. each other. With the governor in the pos1t1on shown relative to the contacts, in Figure 1 the car is at rest, the wiring 47 extends to the parking light from there to the battery and then is grounded to any suitable place. Then as the motor is started the centrifugal force will cause the weights to move outwardly radially and in so doing will force the rotatable contact elements to move toward the right. As soon as the rotatable contact engages the next contact point 49 it breaks the circuit to the parking light through the wire leading to the contact point 48, and connects both circuits to the ,head and tail lights, thus putting out the parking light and lighting said head and tail lights.

If desired separate wiring may lead from this contact point 49 to the battery and to a colored light on the dash to Aindicate that the car is then running at a predetermined speed of 15 miles an hour, the contact polnt 49 Abeing so spaced on the insulator that the governor will move the sliding contact thereover 'and into/engagement therewith only at that speed and thus complete the circuit connecting the lamp on the dash, indicating that the car is then running at the speed above referred to. A plurality of these lights o'f .different colors are placed on the dash and connected with the other succeedling contacts 51, 52, etc. so that a dierent colored light will-show for the various predetermined speeds of the cars, accomplished by the moving of the rotatable contact into engagement with said various annular contacts 51, 52, etc. mounted in the insulator.

If it is desired to have the motor killed at any of these speeds at which a colored light has been put on the dash to indicate that speed at which the car is running, a. connection is 'simply made therefrom with the distributor, which will ground the' engine, as the governor carries the rotatable contact over the proper annular contact.

I do not intend to be limited to the particular details hereinshown and described, as it will be obvious that the foregoing is merely an exemplary embodiment of the yinvention, which is adapted to a number of different wirings.

I claim:

1. In an automatic controller, a sleeve, a driven shaft journaled in said sleeve, an insulator surrounding said sleeve, a plurality of contact elements mounted on said insulator, a contact element arranged to slide longitudinally over said first named contacts,

` and centrifugal operated means for accomplishing said sliding.

2. In an automatic controller, a sleeve, a shaft journaled in said sleeve, an insulator surrounding said sleeve, a plurality of contact elements mounted on said insulator, a sectional ball bearinged contact element, one of said sections arranged to slide over said plurality of contacts, and the other of said sections arranged to rotate about the other section, means arranged to impart constant rotation to sai-d ball bearing sections with respect to each other, and a sliding movement to said ball bearing contact over the said plurality of contacts a distance proportional to the speed of the shaft. v

3. In combination with stationary contacts, a revolvable shaft mounted therein, a governor comprising an anchor secured to said shaft, a plurality vof hinged members, weights connected to said members, yielding means on said anchor arranged to bear on.

said hinged members and means connected to and operated by said governor arranged to slide on said first named contacts as said shaft is revolved.

4. In a device of the class described, a shaft, contact elements associated with said shaft, and current carrying means, in combination with a governor, comprising an anchor secured to said shaft, a plurality of arms pivoted to said anchor, hinged members secured to said pivoted arms, weights on said hingedvmembers and a sectional contact, anti-friction means between said sections mounted on first named contacts and the other of said sections connected to said hinged members whereby both sections will move longitudinally and rotate with respect to each other.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature at 10 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illi- BID ROBINSON. 

